Negative Findings Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Grand Cascade Telecommunications Facility in Suwanee, Forsyth County, Georgia

A Phase I archaeological survey was performed on April 14, 2015 of the proposed lease area and access of the Grand Cascade telecommunication facility located in Suwanee, Georgia (34º 6’ 57.8” N, 84º 6’ 47.9” W). The study was conducted for Terracon Consultants, Inc., on behalf of Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless, in order to locate and identify cultural resources and to assess resource significance based on National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) criteria [36CFR Part 60.4 (a-d]. This survey was conducted to comply with the provisions of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permitting under the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (47 CFR Part 1). In accordance with the permitting process, the survey was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended. The Phase I survey included a literature review and intensive field survey. During the literature review, which took place on March 13, 2015, state and county maps and documents were examined to determine if previously recorded archaeological resources were located in or around the project area. The field survey was conducted using surface and subsurface techniques to locate and identify archaeological resources within the study area. Literature Review: Review of the Georgia Archaeological Site File, NRHP files, historic structures files, and compliance report files at the Georgia Historic Preservation Division revealed that there is one previously recorded archaeological site (9FO389) and one report (Ehrenhard et. al 1979) within 1/2-mi of the project area. Archaeological Field Survey: There are no cultural materials (i.e., artifacts, cultural deposits, features, or human remains) located within the project APE. There are no NRHP-eligible or listed archaeological sites within ½-mile of the current survey area that may be visually affected by the proposed project. Recommendations: Because of the absence of archaeological materials within the current proposed project APE, Subterraine recommends archaeological resource clearance for the current proposed project; no further archaeological work is recommended for the project area APE for direct effects.